"What is it?" I heard Leandra roar, causing the chattering at the table to halt.

I didn't hear the response over my sobbing, but I felt Leandra physically tense up, her grip growing tighter around me. Too late to protect me from what I already saw, what had already burned into my memory.

"It's Cornelia's head," the General's coarse voice said, just loud enough to hear.

Gemini.

She failed.

I could still feel her eyes looking into my soul, dead and lifeless. Not shaking with excitement like before, they lacked the same enthralled glow. They were a dull yellow, a dead yellow, like a wilted daffodil. My own hands, like her ginger hair in that box, had specs of her blood on them.

"Get this out of here," the General ordered lowly.

"Wait, there's something in her mouth."

There was a rustle and then complete silence.

"A note..."

My head shot up and my eyes locked on to the crumpled paper in Iyeong's hands. Her normally straight brows were crumpled together much like the note as she opened it.

"What a stunt you guys tried to pull on me, it would've worked if I didn't have my wits about me. Do you guys think my nose doesn't work? You all smell and that stuck to Cornelia much like her skin tried to as I removed it. She wouldn't give me information, but that's okay. I hope Arianne enjoys this present and I hope I can make it much like her 16th birthday present again. From Austin, King of Drecott."

He flayed her.

The General stared at me from beside Iyeong, "what does he mean by that?"

My memory flashed me back to my 16th birthday, I'd been dating Chase for a few months, and he decided that every hour from 9 am to 8 pm, he'd give me a new charm to fill my Pandora. I told them that, and again, everyone was silent as they tried to figure out how that related now. Even I couldn't figure out what he meant by that. My mind was a mess trying to figure everything out at that moment.

"He means- he means he'll send her back piece by piece. Like how he gave Arianne her charms piece by piece," Iyeong spat with pure disgust in her tone. "What a sadist."

A vile taste hit the back of my throat and I knew I was about to throw up any minute at the thought of seeing anymore mutilated parts of Gemini. The fact that he took pleasure in this filled me with anger and disgust. I knew he was a terrible man, but he hit a new low with this; he was evil. If this was how he treated Gemini, I couldn't bear to think what he'd do to Alexander, who he despised so much.

That was the second time I'd lost a friend and in such a gruesome way. I'd never been able to help them, to save them. It was like I was cursed.

"Hey," Leandra turned my head softly to look at her, and I saw nothing but sympathy in her eyes, "let's get your hands washed and get you away from this."

I nodded stiffly and got up with Leandra, she kept an arm over my shoulder and one on my arm, keeping me up. I could hardly feel my legs and I felt like all the air had been knocked out of me.

I felt a tug and turned, Iyeong was holding on to Leandra.

"You know that means she's up next, she's our final chance," said Iyeong, meaning me.

Now my legs were done as my vision completely blurred over. I felt like someone was hugging me too tight and I couldn't breathe in, only out.

"Hasn't she gone through enough?" I heard the King yell.

That last thing I remember was being lifted into someone's arms and then blackness...

Waking up was no easy task, with heavy eyelids and pleasant dreams trying to bribe me back to unconsciousness, but the second whoever was in the room turned the lights on to full brightness, I was awake.

"Hey," a male voice said from the left of me.

For a brief second, I could've sworn it belonged to Alexander, but the next thing they said: "Are you hungry?" made me sure that it wasn't.

"No," I muttered, staring up at the roof.

Gemini really was gone. She failed her mission and now it was my turn. I had to go to Drecott and see Austin.

"We all know you really like Gemini, but she's gone, and you need your strength for the insanity that is Iyeong's plan. She'll be here soon."

A plastic cup was brought in to the line of my sight, I sat up and took it. I guess a drink wouldn't kill me.

"Why are you here? Where's everyone else?" I questioned after finishing my drink.

Jayden leant back in the chair and folded his arms, "wow, thank you Jayden for staying with me while everyone argues in the next room," he retorted sarcastically.

"Why are they arguing?"

"The King doesn't want you to go, but Iyeong is insistent you do, the General agrees with her too, and he's in control down here."

"I want to..."

Jayden snorted, "almost sounded like you said you want to."

"I do. Austin has caused so much damage, and for what? The only reason he is winning right now is because he has Alexander. The sooner we get him back, the sooner this will end. I want to go. I'll do whatever Iyeong asks. I'll go to Drecott."

Iyeong was at the foot of my bed with the General and King either side of her in mere seconds. The King's face was red from anger and even Iyeong's usual expressionless face looked irritated.

"Arianne, please don't think this is the only way," the King begged.

My heart sank when I thought about breaking his, but this was the only way. He wanted as little damage done as possible to protect his country and his son and that wasn't possible. Something had to give. I, too, was tired of sitting in the back and doing nothing. I wanted to truly help, and if to do that I had to be face to face with Austin himself, then I'd do it.

Iyeong took my nod in her direction as an OK and began explaining everything to me.

I didn't see much of the King over the next few days, no one did. I was given more improv and self-defence lessons, and I was given the same folder that Gemini had been given to read up on the personality of Austin, who I was certain I didn't know anymore.

Within three days, I was ready to go. I'd be driven to the coast, and we'd take a jet to Drecott.

I hadn't been given all the details of the plan, in case Austin caught on and I was questioned. Apparently, the location of Alexander was known, and some trained soldiers would go in and extract him while I had Austin distracted. We were to devise a new peace treaty, so Nox and Drecott would no longer be at war, except, it would be a fake.

*

Austin's family's castle was high up in the hills, you could see it from all around Drecott. It was probably twice the size of Alexander's, but it didn't have the same beauty. This castle was dark and gothic looking. It was, however, surrounded by immense greenery. I kept my eyes on it the whole time as we drove up the hills. Staring at it kept my mind off the reason why I was there, but not what I was there to do; I was there to distract Austin now that Gemini had failed. I knew he had Alexander, he was locked away in his basement.

If I could keep Austin distracted, make our conversation so it was just me and him, no interruptions, no nothing, I was certain the team would be able to get Alexander, and I'd be gone before Austin even knew. All I knew was that I needed to play my part in it perfectly, otherwise, everything could fall apart. I'd put Alexander in an even worse fate than his current one.

As the car I was in drew nearer, my heart rate began to pick up slightly. I was nervous. I didn't want to mess up, there would be no one to blame but myself, and I didn't know what fate would await if I messed up and was trapped in Drecott.

The front door of the castle was huge! I didn't know why it needed to be so big. All the same, it was intimidating to be stood in front of. I felt like a mouse. I waited for it to open, and when it finally did, I was greeted by two guys, maybe my age, give or take a few years. They were definitely vampires, their bright red eyes made me aware of that straight away.

"Follow me," they said in unison.

I did as they said and followed them through the castle, which didn't look as bad as I expected. It was all modern, everything looked brand new and the floors were immaculate.

I was taken to the bottom of a flight of red-carpeted stairs, which separated in opposite directions at the top.

"Arianne, so glad you could make it!"